


Kindness Where You Least Expect It

by sacredsymbol821



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Seemingly Unrequited Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 11:36:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21207893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sacredsymbol821/pseuds/sacredsymbol821
Summary: It's the little things that make Byleth realize she might have a tiny crush on the Crown Prince of Faerghus.





	Kindness Where You Least Expect It

The rain fell on Garreg Mach, and Byleth was sure that it would never stop at this point. If it didn’t, she wouldn’t mind. Nothing could be heard outside except for the droplets hitting the ground. Some part of her wanted to love the rain. Another part of her remembered holding her father's dead body, and how the sky had opened up that day. She continued looking up at the sky, as if waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she went back to her room, and grabbed her practice sword before heading to the training ground. The usual suspects were there- Felix was dueling Catherine, and it was hard to tell who's winning. Raphael and Caspar weren't holding back on each other, with Linhardt looking very bored watching them. He would have to be the one to heal them later, which was why he was sticking around. She was content to watch Catherine and Felix for awhile, until it ended in a draw with both of them having sweat drip down their faces. Byleth smiled at that. Felix had been good in school with the blade,but rough around the edges. She had taught him how to block a little more effectively and be more reactive. Suddenly, there was silence on the training ground, and all eyes were on her. Felix's told her that something was wrong with her, but she was allowed to be there and regularly came here to assess their progress and train herself when she wasn't planning. 

"The Boar has come out to play, I see." Felix commented. That sent her mind whirling. That was his nickname for- Dimitri. 

She swung around to see him, and breathed a sigh of relief, before narrowing her eyes at him. Dimitri began to blush, then. 

There was something wrong with his face. She could see more of it, and his cheekbones were more prominent. 

"Professor?" Dimitri asked, his eye meeting hers. 

Only when she could see his eyepatch did she realize why he looked different. 

"You put your hair up." She noted. 

Dimitri simply nodded, still pink from her scrutiny, and cleared his throat.

“I. um. Yes, I did.” He admitted. 

“Get on the training ground, or get off of it. This isn’t time for idle chatter.” Felix said, before walking so briskly by Byleth that she felt air breeze by her elbow. Dimitri watched him go, before looking back at the training ground.

Byleth was so busy wondering why his face looked so different with the top knot, that she realized she was standing in his way, and he was too polite to say anything. She cleared her throat and stepped out of his way, nodding to him as he passed, before following him to the training ground. She made a mental note to not watch him like she usually did, and then slipped on her foot, and fell into the dummy. 

Again, everyone stopped, including Dimitri, who had been attempting to strike a dummy- and he lost control of his spear and hit a pillar far away from them, which happened sometimes. However, the spear exploded everywhere, causing Ashe to jump away from the spot and look up. 

Byleth sighed, and looked at Dimitri, who’s face looked like a tomato had exploded on it. 

“I’m fine.” She told him, before going to the spot on the ground where the spear had exploded. It was in such little pieces, she couldn’t tell if it was a manufacturer error or Dimitri’s brute strength. 

Or a combination of both. 

“Your Highness, is everything okay?”Ashe asked, after brushing some debris out of his hair. 

"Yes, Ashe. Is everyone alright?" Dimitri asked. Looking around the room as she got to her feet, Byleth saw that nothing had changed. Catherine's eyebrow had quirked up, but that was the only thing that had changed- aside from Bernadetta suddenly cowering behind a barrel. 

"Should we close the training grounds?" He asked, looking around to see who of his comrades in arms were still there. 

"I was almost done. Shamir is probably waiting for me, anyway." Catherine shrugged, before walking out the training grounds. Ashe nodded a silent agreement and followed them out, with Bernadetta closely behind him, almost using him as a shield. 

The only ones that were left were her and Dimitri. She had never been afraid of him, even when he wasn't himself and lashing out at everyone including her and never attending war meetings. Now, though, her stomach clenched up at the thought of being alone with him. 

"Well, I didn't intend to clear the training grounds out." Dimitri sighed, going to one of the barrels to test out the lances. 

"More people will come in." She told him. 

"One can hope." He replied melodramatically. She bit her lip to keep from smiling, and turned toward her dummy. Both hands went to her sword and the stinging in her left shoulder began. All Edelgard had done was graze her with Amyr, and even after multiple visits to the Infirmary, she'd decided to not bother the healers any more than she had already. Squaring her shoulders was a chore, one that made her grit her teeth and put it down again. 

Doing it again would have been useless, so she put down the practice sword and picked up a lance. Her father had been more adept with it than she had. She could defend herself with it if needed, but she much preferred the Sword of the Creator, or just a sword. The length of the weapon had always thrown her off kilter a little bit. But the way Dimitri and others used it- more like danced with it- in their hands had always mystified her. She put back the lance, then. Axes were much too heavy, and her shoulder protested just thinking about it as she walked by them. She was decent with Gauntlets, but using her right shoulder to punch things was not an inviting prospect. She grabbed a bow, and put it in her left hand. 

"Byleth, does it always take you that long to choose a weapon to spar with?" Dimitri's voice came out of nowhere.

"Only when I'm taking my time." She answered automatically. 

"I see. That does not explain the loitering in front of the dummy without swinging your sword once." He answered. It sounded light in tone, but in truth, she couldn't look him in his face. 

"It's nothing, Dimitri." She answered quietly. 

"If it affects m- the army, then I would say it is something." He answered. Then, and only then, did she dare to look up. How long had he been watching her? There was a lance in his hand, but it seemed unused, and she hadn't heard a single thump.

"It's a little shoulder pain, that's all." She told him. For one awful, unfair second, her brain expected him to snap at her, to yell at her to go to the Infirmary now or he would crush her skull. 

"If said pain causes you to not swing your sword correctly, it's a problem." She opened her mouth to speak, and he continued talking. 

"I know how much of a hypocrite I must sound, but you're worth so much to this army. Especially when I was...incapacitated." He finished, and put his head down with his eyes to the ground.

"I've been to the healers four times. Nothing works." She sighed, looking at him.

Dimitri frowned at that. 

"I am no healer. I've taken much more lives than I saved." He said. 

"Don't-" She began. 

He shook his head, and looked up at her. 

"I have taken your words to heart. I don't listen to them anymore." He promised. 

"I was just stating what I thought was the obvious." He finished. 

She frowned, then.

"I know it is hypocritical, coming from 

me, but-" 

She didn't let him finish. 

"There is nothing to apologize for. You're right." She acknowledged. Then she realized she had spoken over him, and blushed. 

"Sorry." She told him, and moved to put the bow she had in her hand back. 

"I'm content to watch for now." She said, and he smiled one of his very rare soft smiles. She smiled back because of how infectious it always was to her.

They went their own ways after that, and she went to sleep after a long day on her bed.

She awoke in a cold sweat. There had been a pegasus with sharp teeth flying towards her, and it had killed Dimitri, who was trying to protect her- She stared at the ceiling before deciding she had enough of her bed and walked outside. 

It was raining, a very cold rain that she was surprised at. She breathed in, closed her eyes a little and just listened to the rain on the top of the balcony drumming away. Even with her eyes closed, she could hear footsteps around her, mostly the night patrollers. There was another pair of footsteps she recognized, though. He was awake again, and while she enjoyed his company at night, she hated that she knew he was up. His boots walked, almost aimlessly, toward her door. Opening it and going back in her room would have been lying, so she sat and waited for him to see her, keeping her eyes closed. 

"Byleth. You're awake, as well." Dimitri said. He didn't seem perturbed anymore, but thankful she was there. 

"I am, Dimitri." She smiled a little at how eager he looked, even though the bags under his eyes told that if he had sleep, it wasn't for more than a few hours. 

"You had another nightmare tonight?" He asked. 

She couldn't look him in his eye. 

"Yes." She answered. If she told him it was about him dying, he would never sleep again. She knew this, so kept her tongue from saying anymore. 

"What was yours about?" She asked before he could ask.

He looked at her, his eye sliding to her boots. 

"You know which one." He answered, tiredly. His hair was back to how it was before today, covering both eyes and clouding the blue from her vision. 

She nodded, and went toward her door before unlocking it. He waited outside her doorway, hesitant to come in, like a ghost. 

"Dimitri, you've been in here enough that I don't feel like I need to invite you in." She sighed, but a small smile appeared on her face.

"It's improper." He answered stiffly. Even without looking up, she knew he was blushing. 

"And when your wife invites you to bed, will you do the same?" She said without thinking, and left her mouth agape at the table. 

She had no idea why her brain had voiced that aloud, but it had, and now it was her turn to blush. 

"I apologize. You don't have to answer that. Just come in, please. And close the door so the rain doesn't get in." 

Dimitri finally moved into the room and closed the door behind him, guiding it into its frame with a soft click before sitting across from her. 

"That is an entirely different matter." He answered her, causing her to jump. He was frowning as she turned on the candle. 

"I know it is. That's why I apologized. It was rude of me to say that to a friend." She finished. Her stomach did a very uncomfortable flip at saying that last word, but she was actively ignoring it now.

"It is improper to-" Dimitri started, then stopped. 

"I feel like we have had this discussion at least 10 times." He admitted. 

"I think it's more than that at this point." She admitted, before putting the maps and plans she had been working on in front of them both. 

"Through Tailtean would be the straight route to Fhirdiad, but I feel our enemy will see that a mile away." Byleth told him. He nodded along with her. 

"I agree, but Faerghus has been in turmoil for too long." The because of me was left unsaid, but she still heard it. 

"Yes, but getting you there in one piece is how I'd like to see you arrive." She answered him. 

He sighed. 

"I was afraid you would say that." 

"Do you have a counterpoint?" She asked. 

"A compromise. Instead of taking the direct route, we redirect the Alliance- former Alliance- lords to the west, and our main force moves from the east into the city undetected." He pointed at the map where he was thinking about. 

Byleth's heart grew suddenly, and she looked at where he was pointing. 

"How long have you been thinking about this?" She asked. 

"Since the last war meeting one week ago." He nodded to her. 

She moved her chair to sit closer to him, close enough for their shoulders to brush against each other, a movement that she was acutely aware of. 

"That, I think, would work just fine." She muttered, and yawned. 

"You don't have a counterpoint?" Dimitri yawned back. 

"Tonight, no. Ask me again in the morning." She admitted, before sitting on the floor next to her bed. 

"Most people sleep on the bed." He told her. He sounded like he was about to laugh. 

"I am not most people." She retorted. 

He snorted into his hand at that point, before getting up himself. 

"I shall be going, then, so you can get some rest." He said, before getting up to go. 

"You can stay, you know." She told him. 

"Is that an order?" He asked.

"No. It's a suggestion." She said firmly. Instead of going out, he sat on the floor beside her. 

"It is raining way too hard outside, anyway." He lamented. 

She laughed at him quietly. 

Then, silence fell between them, neither of them daring to break it. Then, as her eyes were getting heavier and heavier, she felt him start to snore lightly on her shoulder. Slowly, she leaned her head on his still damp hair. Then, she closed her eyes. 

She awoke suddenly, her neck stiff from being in one position all night, and saw that Dimitri was awake, looking at her. 

"Good morning, my friend." He said softly. 

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" She asked him. 

"Much better. The rain usually helps." He admitted, then she got up and held out her hand to him, before looking towards the window. It was still raining, but the light meant it was early morning. The clock read 6 am, which meant it was time for her to go and start planning for the War Council later that morning. Dimitri stood up and stretched as well. 

"Dedue and Gilbert will be looking for me." He said mournfully. 

"You should probably go before they send out search parties." 

If she hadn't known him better, she would have sworn Dimitri groaned then. 

"Thank you, Byleth." He smiled softly.

She forgot how to breathe when he did that. 

At some point, he left the room.

And she sat there, rooted to the spot by a smile that had happened awhile ago, hoping it meant something she knew it never would. After a long time fantasizing, she opened her plans and began to prepare it for the War Council, before she left for the training grounds once again to start her daily routine with a heavy heart over what could never be.

**Author's Note:**

> -I am aware that post timeskip anyone calling Byleth "Byleth" is a bit odd, but I cannot write anything the least bit romantic where one person is calling the other Professor, and the students would be calling Byleth by their name if the player wasn't allowed to name them probably.  
-The raining scene was inspired by a rainy night, and the nightmare Byleth had is that weird because in my experience, nightmares are just, like that.  
-This is my contribution to the Dimileth fandom, but I doubt it will be the last, especially because I'm writing a lot of fics with Dimitri in them. He's fun to write, and I am S-supporting him on this playthrough, so it does make sense. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and if you want to interact with me outside of here, I have a twitter under the same name!


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